With the passing of its budget, full of broken promises, callous cuts, tax giveaways for corporations and the wealthy and well connected, and a billion dollars in tax hikes for Saskatchewan families, the Sask. Party have shown they have forgotten for whom they are supposed to be working.

It has been nearly a week since the Sask. Party introduced their budget that hiked taxes on Saskatchewan families and small businesses while handing over millions in tax giveaways to large corporations and the province’s wealthy and well-connected.

Even before this year’s budget, Saskatchewan’s classrooms, their teachers, students and school boards were already a favourite target of the Sask. Party for cuts and broken promises. With the changes to the Education Act proposed in the budget, the Sask. Party is seizing control of local school board budgets and silencing local voices by further eroding local decision making.

“This change is a demonstration of pure arrogance and shows how completely out of touch the Sask. Party is when it comes to what is needed in our kids’ classrooms across Saskatchewan,” NDP Education Critic Carla Beck said. “The message being sent with this budget is that the Sask. Party doesn’t want to hear from the people who work in our kids’ classrooms and they want to completely undermine any influence that parents and communities have over their children’s education.”

With the elimination of the Saskatchewan Transportation Company, the Sask. Party sent a clear message that it does not care about the Saskatchewan people who rely on the busses to get them and their packages around and they care even less about the 224 workers who are now without a job.

“Across the province, Saskatchewan people woke up Wednesday morning to find out they had to change their travel plans and scramble to arrange transportation - including for medical appointments and business needs - because the bus service they depend on was callously cut out of the blue. Meanwhile, 224 STC workers learned that their jobs were cut,” said NDP STC Critic Doyle Vermette. “The Premier and his cabinet seem to have forgotten that STC and the crowns belong to the people of the province and that Saskatchewan families should never be forced to pay the price for Sask. Party’s mismanagement, scandal and waste.”

The Sask. Party presented their budget yesterday and on nearly every page, there was a broken Sask. Party promise, a tax hike on the middle class, or a mean-spirited cut that hurts Saskatchewan families.